Nagorno-Karabakh. History and essence of the conflict

Nagorno-Karabakh is the region in Transcaucasia, which is legally the territory of Azerbaijan. At the time of the collapse of the USSR, there was a military clash, as the Armenian roots have the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh. The essence of the conflict is that Azerbaijan makes quite reasonable demands to this territory, however, the inhabitants of the region tend to gravitate towards Armenia. On May 12, 1994, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh ratified the protocol that established the truce, which resulted in an unconditional ceasefire in the conflict zone.

Excursion to the history

Armenian historical sources say that Artsakh (the ancient Armenian name) was first mentioned in the 8th century BC. According to these sources, Nagorno-Karabakh was a part of Armenia even in the early Middle Ages. As a result of the conquest wars of Turkey and Iran in this era, a significant part of Armenia came under the control of these countries. The Armenian princedoms, or melikstva, at that time located on the territory of modern Karabakh, retained a semi-independent status.

Azerbaijan takes its point of view on this issue. According to local researchers, Karabakh is one of the most ancient historical regions of their country. The word "Karabakh" in Azerbaijani is translated as follows: "gara" means black, and "bug" is a garden. Already in the 16th century, along with other provinces, Karabakh was part of the Safavid state, and later became an independent Khanate.

Nagorno Karabakh in the times of the Russian Empire

In 1805, the Karabakh khanate was subordinated to the Russian Empire, and in 1813 the Nagorno-Karabakh also became part of Russia under the Gyulistan Peace Treaty. Then, according to the Turkmenchay agreement, as well as the agreement concluded in the city of Edirne, the Armenians were moved from Turkey and Iran and placed in the territories of Northern Azerbaijan, including in Karabakh. Thus, the population of these lands is mainly of Armenian origin.

In the USSR

In 1918, the newly created Azerbaijan Democratic Republic gained control over Karabakh. Almost simultaneously, the Armenian Republic claims this region, but the ADR does not recognize these claims . In 1921, the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh with the rights of broad autonomy is included in the Azerbaijan SSR. Two years later, Karabakh received the status of an autonomous region (NKAR).

In 1988, the Council of Deputies of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region petitions the authorities of the AzSSR and the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republics and suggests transferring the disputed territory to Armenia. This petition was not granted, as a result of which a wave of protest swept through the cities of Nagorno-Karabakh. Demonstrations of solidarity were also held in Yerevan.

Proclamation of independence

In the early autumn of 1991, when the Soviet Union had already begun to collapse, a declaration was adopted in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, which proclaimed the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Moreover, in addition to the NKAR, part of the territory of the former AzSSR was included in its structure. According to the results of the referendum held on December 10 of the same year in Nagorno-Karabakh, more than 99% of the region's population voted for complete independence from Azerbaijan.

It is quite obvious that this referendum was not recognized by the Azerbaijani authorities, and the act of proclamation was labeled as illegal. Moreover, Baku decided to abolish the autonomy of Karabakh, which it had in Soviet times. However, the destructive process was already started.

The Karabakh conflict

For the independence of the self-proclaimed republic, Armenian detachments stood up, which Azerbaijan tried to oppose. Nagorno-Karabakh received support from official Yerevan, as well as from the national diaspora in other countries, so the militia managed to defend the region. However, the Azerbaijani authorities managed to establish control over several regions, which were initially proclaimed as part of the NKR.

Each of the opposing sides brings its statistics of losses in the Karabakh conflict. Comparing these data, we can conclude that for three years of clarifying the relationship, 15-25 thousand people died. The wounded counted at least 25 thousand, more than 100 thousand civilians were forced to leave their homes.

Peaceful settlement

Negotiations, during which the parties tried to resolve the conflict peacefully, began almost immediately after the independent NKR was proclaimed. For example, on September 23, 1991, a meeting was held, attended by the presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia, as well as Russia and Kazakhstan. In the spring of 1992, the OSCE established a group for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

Despite all attempts by the international community to stop the bloodshed, it was only in the spring of 1994 that the fire ceased. On May 5, the Bishkek protocol was signed in the Kyrgyz capital , after which the participants ceased fire after a week.

The parties to the conflict did not manage to agree on the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan demands respect for its sovereignty and insists on maintaining its territorial integrity. The interests of the self-proclaimed republic are protected by Armenia. Nagorno Karabakh stands for the peaceful settlement of disputed issues, while the authorities of the republic emphasize that the NKR is able to stand up for its independence.